The Making of the "Rape of Nanking"

History and Memory in Japan, China, and the United States

Takashi Yoshida

This study examines how views of the so-called Rape of Nanking, or the Nanjing Massacre, have evolved in history writing and public memory in Japan, China, and the United States from 1937 to the present.

The Making of the "Rape of Nanking"

History and Memory in Japan, China, and the United States

Takashi Yoshida

Description

On December 13, 1937, the Japanese army attacked and captured the Chinese capital city of Nanjing, planting the rising-sun flag atop the city's outer walls. What occurred in the ensuing weeks and months has been the source of a tempestuous debate ever since.

It is well known that the Japanese military committed wholesale atrocities after the fall of the city, massacring large numbers of Chinese during the both the Battle of Nanjing and in its aftermath. Yet the exact details of the war crimes--how many people were killed during the battle? How many after? How many women were raped? Were prisoners executed? How unspeakable were the acts committed?--are the source of controversy among Japanese, Chinese, and American historians to this day.

In The Making of the "Rape of Nanking Takashi Yoshida examines how views of the Nanjing Massacre have evolved in history writing and public memory in Japan, China, and the United States. For these nations, the question of how to treat the legacy of Nanjing--whether to deplore it, sanitize it, rationalize it, or even ignore it--has aroused passions revolving around ethics, nationality, and historical identity. Drawing on a rich analysis of Chinese, Japanese, and American history textbooks and newspapers, Yoshida traces the evolving--and often conflicting--understandings of the Nanjing Massacre, revealing how changing social and political environments have influenced the debate. Yoshida suggests that, from the 1970s on, the dispute over Nanjing has become more lively, more globalized, and immeasurably more intense, due in part to Japanese revisionist history and a renewed emphasis on patriotic education in China.

While today it is easy to assume that the Nanjing Massacre has always been viewed as an emblem of Japan's wartime aggression in China, the image of the "Rape of Nanking" is a much more recent icon in public consciousness. Takashi Yoshida analyzes the process by which the Nanjing Massacre has become an international symbol, and provides a fair and respectful treatment of the politically charged and controversial debate over its history.

The Making of the "Rape of Nanking"

History and Memory in Japan, China, and the United States

Takashi Yoshida

Table of Contents

IntroductionPart I Allies and Enemies in the Asia-Pacific War (1937-45) 1. Japan: Mobilizing the Nation, Sanitizing Aggression2. China: Intolerable Atrocities3. US: "The Rape of Nanking"Part II The Storm of Postwar and Cold War Politics (1945-71) 4. Japan: Confronting the Nanjing Massacre5. China: In Times of Civil and Cold War6. US: Rebuilding JapanPart III Bringing the Nanjing Massacre into Print (1971-1988) 7. Japan: from "Victim Consciousness" to "Victimizer Consciousness"8. China: Nationalizing Memory of the Nanjing Massacre9. US: Focus on Japanese Denials of the PatPart IV The Internationalization of the Nanjing Massacre (1989-present) 10. Japan: A War Over History and Memory11. China: The Nanjing Massacre and Patriotic Education12. US: Rediscovery of the Nanjing MassacreConclusionNotesBibliography

The Making of the "Rape of Nanking"

History and Memory in Japan, China, and the United States

Takashi Yoshida

Reviews and Awards

"Yoshida does the field a service in bringing myriad insights together in one manuscript. He succeeds in opening windows on the psychologies behind all positions in the debates, and in highly readable prose."--James Orr, Pacific Affairs

"The Nanjing Massacre is now an iconic event in international history. This book adroitly summarizes how this state of affairs came to pass."--Laura Hein, Northwestern University

"This is by far the most comprehensive and judicious survey of how Japanese, Chinese, and American journalists, scholars, and propagandists have interpreted and polemically exploited this tragic atrocity from its occurrence in 1937 to the present day. Yoshida's incisive, sensitive, and even-handed account is a must-read for anyone interested in World War Two, modern Sino-Japanese history, and East Asian current affairs."--Bob Tadashi Wakabayashi, York University

"A serious, sobering dissection of the shifting and conflicting images of the Nanjing Massacre. Yoshida's eye-opening account shows how the popular media in each country have helped to frame the debates and stir controversies about Nanjing ever since."--Tom Havens, Northeastern University